This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 105

Matthew followed 177 towards the room on the top floor's east side. As they walked, 177 began to speak.

"Don't worry, that kid has become very obedient under my guidance. Thanks to my teachings, he's turned into a devoted vegetarian. You need to be careful not to let him near the smell of blood and meat; he'll vomit. Normally, all you have to provide him with is a certain amount of rice and wheat. He can even eat stones when he's hungry. Of course, to ensure he gets enough protein and fat, it's best to give him a bucket of milk every week to keep him healthy. If you don't have any, it's fine. Trolls have robust physical qualities, and even if they go hungry for several years, they'll still be tough and durable."

As they spoke, the two of them reached the room where the troll was being kept. Matthew noticed that the room was essentially constructed from a series of interconnected fences. In this area, 177 had the ability to manipulate the basic construction elements to build whatever he wanted.

He called himself the Emperor of Cauldron House, and in this regard, it wasn't an exaggeration. After entering the room, Matthew immediately spotted the massive troll, Xinvake, lying on the ground, sound asleep. He appeared to have lost some weight, and the only noticeable difference was a slender collar around his neck.

177 pointed at the collar and explained, "See that? The remote control you have is used to control that electric shock collar. I've set it to three levels, representing different levels of electrical stimulation. If he misbehaves, you can switch it to the first level, and the mild shock running through his neck and spine will give him a slight punishment. In most cases, try not to use the third level."

Matthew inquired, "Is it because the third level shock is too strong and might harm him?"

177 nodded at first and then shook his head. "The first half is correct, but the second half is wrong. In fact, the third level shock is so powerful that he might think you're rewarding him."

Matthew was baffled. "Xinvake!"

177 called out softly, while explaining to Matthew, "This is the nickname I gave him. 'Xinvake' is too difficult to pronounce, and it's not intimate enough. What do you think?"

Xinvake, lying on the ground, woke up instantly and rubbed his drowsy eyes, walking over. Matthew complimented, "Your naming skills are way better than mine."

177 laughed, "I've always known I have a talent for naming! How about this, Matthew, when you have kids, let me help you name them! The more, the better, so I can maximize my talent."

Matthew's smile froze for a moment, but he was getting better at handling awkward situations. He pretended nothing had happened and walked over to Xinvake, curiously examining the troll's body.

After a few seconds, Matthew gently tapped Xinvake's skin on the back of his heel with his index finger. "Oh, master, please don't!" Xinvake cried out, "It hurts so much!"

The next moment, the troll howled in pain and collapsed to the ground. Xinvake looked extremely distressed, clutching the spot where Matthew had tapped him and convulsing.

Matthew was surprised. "What's going on?"

177 came over to explain, "Initially, when I was training Xinvake, I found him too insensitive. Even if I punched him, he would just grunt and fall asleep. It infuriated me, so I used magic to adjust his sensitivity. How do you like it?"

Matthew asked curiously, "But his reaction is too extreme. How much did you adjust his sensitivity?"

"A thousand times!" 177 proudly replied.

Matthew was taken aback. "Why a thousand times?"

177 replied matter-of-factly, "Because I thought ten thousand times would be too cruel."

Matthew was left speechless, realizing there was some logic in what 177 said. 177 added, "The training has already been completed for the most part. If you decide to take him with you, I can remove the sensitivity adjustment spell. I'm just not sure if he'll regret it. After all, Xinvake is probably the first troll in history with such sensitivity. That alone is enough to make history."

Seeing Xinvake's terrified expression, Matthew decided not to inquire about what had happened in the past month. He immediately expressed his intention to take Xinvake with him.

Upon hearing this, 177 pointed to the largest button on the remote control. "Then press this one."

Matthew did as instructed. After pressing the button, a white light enveloped Xinvake's body, and in an instant, all that remained was the collar.

177 picked up the collar and handed it to Matthew. "Didn't expect that, did you? I added a dimensional space to the collar, large enough to accommodate two trolls. This is to prevent Xinvake from becoming too fat to fit in it in the future. Oh, I'm such a genius!"

Matthew accepted the collar with a smile and noticed an inscription inside: "177's Love Collar (Made by Matthew for the other founder of 'Ronan Must Die' to commemorate our friendship)."

Matthew was touched and concerned. If the archmage Ronan found out he had this thing, would he spare him? But the collar was undeniably practical.

In the end, he had to accept 177's kind gesture. Afterward, Matthew took out a set of pottery from his bag as a gift for Xinvake. These items were common in the waste kilns of the Riverflow Island, and Matthew had brought back over a dozen sets. He had already gifted sets to Reiga and Sufa, the latter being particularly delighted with the present.

As one of Ronan's trusted aides, 177 couldn't be left out. Matthew thought that someone as well-traveled as 177 might not appreciate these gifts, but to his surprise, 177's eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh, Matthew, I can't even remember the last time I received a gift! That guy Ronan is always busy outside, and he doesn't even remember my birthday. The last time I received a gift was more than five years ago when he promised to share some of the Red Dragon's carcass with me after he raided the ancient Red Dragon's lair and killed several young Red Dragons, making a fortune. But when the loot reached my hands, all I got was a big piece of the Red Dragon's intestines! What's worse, it seemed like the Red Dragon had just eaten before Ronan killed it. That scoundrel Ronan! Is he trying to tell me to eat excrement? Sob, sob. These pottery items are interesting. Their shapes remind me of some ancient constructs, but they lack a bit of spirituality. I'll study them, and maybe there will be a pleasant surprise."

After bidding farewell to 177, Matthew took the elevator to the market district.

Matthew wanted to browse the magic item market in this place, buy a few bottles of Growth Elixir, and see if he could get some equipment for himself.

This time, coming back from the south, Matthew had more than two thousand gold coins in cash, not counting the funds used to establish the Oaktree Trading Company.

In the past, he had never dared to visit the magic item market here.

But times had changed.

As Matthew entered the official magic store, he stood up a bit straighter.

Market area's official store consisted of rows of dazzling magic display windows.

This was a shop under the name of Grand Magician Ronan, and the items produced here either came from Ronan's mage tower in the Gem Bay or from the properties of other Grand Mages of the Seven Saints Alliance.

As soon as Matthew walked in.

He was surrounded by a fork, a plate, and a magic broom.

"Need any assistance, sir? We can help you quickly find what you want, saving you a lot of time. You know, time is a mage's lifeline!"

Three magical creatures said eagerly.

Matthew politely declined their sales pitch.

Because these magic assistants also required an additional service fee.

Although he was no longer poor, he was not a sucker.

Seeing Matthew's determination.

The three magic creatures left very disappointed.

Before leaving, they muttered to each other:

"It's okay, those who don't want to hire an assistant are usually paupers. There's not much to gain from these young mages."

"You're right, but I haven't had any customers in a month."

"Can't help it, those few nodes in the north were forced to close. Ever since the mages from those wealthy cities couldn't come to the Crucible Inn, business here has been getting tougher."

Matthew looked at the retreating figures of the magical creatures, lost in thought.

"The Crucible Inn's nodes to the northern cities are closed? Does this mean that Master Ronan's situation in the star realm has worsened again?"

Speculating wouldn't help.

Matthew shifted his focus back and strolled alone among the display windows.

But as he walked.

His expression changed!

Matthew had never expected that what those magical creatures said was not wrong. Compared to the prices here, he really was a pauper!

Throughout his journey here.

He had actually set his sights on several magic items.

However, their prices were truly daunting.

"Advanced Corpse Bag: Can hold 25 bodies at once (only bodies) and is only one-third the size of a regular corpse bag.

Price: 200 gold coins.

Dragonfire Amulet (Intelligence +1): Activating the Dragonfire on this amulet allows you to instantly remove all enchantments on the target unit up to legendary level. In particular, if the target has 'Counterspell,' Dragonfire not only dispels it but also applies 'Mana Ignition' based on the level of 'Counterspell' on the target.

Mana Ignition: Rapidly depletes the target's mana within a short period.

Price: 5000 gold coins.

Shadowcaster Staff (Intelligence +1): When casting spells with this staff, you will summon three shadowy duplicates around you. These duplicates not only create confusion but also accelerate your spell casting, increasing your casting speed fourfold! Furthermore, this spell provides a significant bonus to shadow magic spells.

Price: 8000 gold coins."

If Matthew could barely afford the Advanced Corpse Bag.

The much more tempting Dragonfire Amulet and Shadowcaster Staff would require him to dip into the company's funds.

Walking past one display window after another.

Matthew's expression grew more and more numb.

Eventually.

He ran to a display window showcasing legendary items.

After all, looking costs nothing!

This display window only showcased three items.

"Oklo's Guardian Light Sphere: After activating a specific incantation, an 'Absolute Defense (Sixth-level Spell)' effect will be formed within a three-kilometer radius around the center of the sphere.

Price: 200,000 gold coins.

Oklo's Twin Angels (Statue): By activating the statue with blood, you can summon two lesser angels (LV21~LV24) to fight for you.

Price: 200,000 gold coins.

Ronan's Staff: A staff used by Grand Magician Ronan when he was young, it doesn't possess great magical power, but it holds unique sentimental value.

Price: 100,000 gold coins."

Perhaps the excessive number of zeros blinded him, or perhaps he had become completely desensitized.

Matthew didn't find the prices of the first two items too high.

It was the last one that puzzled him.

"How could an ordinary staff like this sell for a hundred thousand gold? Even if Ronan is unscrupulous, he wouldn't do something like this, right? Could there be a hidden secret behind this staff?"

Unfortunately, whether there was a hidden secret or not was not Matthew's concern.

With his current wealth, he couldn't possibly come up with a hundred thousand gold coins unless he managed to kidnap Reiga for ransom.

Leaving the row of magical display windows.

A burning flame ignited in Matthew's eyes.

He was eager to make money!

"At the very least, I need to get my hands on that 'Dragonfire Amulet.' With it, I won't have to fear the enemy's counterspells and enchantments anymore. Meanwhile, my counterspell will make the enemy fear me. With this, I can even challenge a fifth-level mage, not to mention a fourth-level one!"

With high spirits, Matthew walked towards the cashier and said to the staff:

"Give me three bottles of 'Growth Elixir'."

But as he approached, he realized that the staff was the same female mage he had encountered while waiting for the elevator.

She was still wearing her thick black-framed glasses, but her tattered mage robe had been replaced by the Crucible Inn's work attire, making her look more youthful.

"Is there no 'Growth Elixir' available in the store? We only have the higher-level 'Swift-Grow Elixir' here. Are you... oh, it's you?"

The female mage evidently recognized Matthew as well.

She seemed a bit shy but mustered the courage to say:

"Hello, I'm Rosita. I never got the chance to thank you for your advice that day – I was going for a job interview here. I learned later that the esteemed 177 likes to joke when we ride the elevator, and it's said that anyone induced to accelerate gets terrified. Thank you so much!"

Matthew waved his hand with a smile:

"It was a minor thing."

"Don't call me 'esteemed' or anything like that. Just call me Matthew. Um, can you show me the 'Swift-Grow Elixir'?"

"I need about three bottles."

Rosita promptly went to fetch them:

"No problem!"

A moment later.

She returned carrying a large drawer.

Rosita opened one of the drawer's boxes and took out a bottle of dark green potion, then handed it to Matthew.

Matthew took the potion and discreetly glanced at the label inside the drawer.

"Swift-Grow Elixir: Greatly accelerates plant growth (approximately 15 times the effect of 'Spell: Rapid Growth').

Price: 200 gold coins per bottle."

Seeing the price.

Matthew's facial muscles couldn't help but twitch.

"Matthew, is this what you want?"

Rosita asked.

Matthew nodded slightly:

"Is it three bottles you want?"

Rosita asked again.

Matthew blinked, pretending to contemplate:

"No, two will be enough. I suddenly remembered that I have one more at home."

Rosita accepted his decision without suspicion and quickly began packing them up for Matthew.

"Here you go, 380 gold coins in total."

She said.

"Is there a discount?"

Matthew surprisingly inquired.

Rosita blushed and nodded. She whispered:

"I can give you a 5% discount using my employee card. This is the price for our internal shopping. If I get promoted to supervisor, I might get a 10% discount."

"Thank you, Rosita."

Matthew's mood improved considerably:

"Where are you from as a mage?"

Rosita answered, a little embarrassed:

"From the Gem Bay. I was originally a third-level apprentice in Lord Erwin's mage tower. But his assistant thought I was too dull and threw me out. Fortunately, I succeeded in my application here. 177 gave me a job, or I'd be a wandering mage with no fixed abode."

When it came to the last sentence, a look of deep relief washed over her face.

Gem Bay.

That was Ronan's headquarters.

Matthew paid for the potions, stashed them in his bag, and then said to Rosita, "I come from Rollingstone Town. Next time, if you have the time, we can chat. I'm very curious about Gem Bay."

Rosita blushed once again as she was about to tell Matthew that she only worked half-days on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, Matthew had already walked away.

After leaving the Crucible Inn, Matthew hurried back home. His schedule for the day was quite packed. At eight in the morning, Matthew arrived in the civilian district with Layla. They stood before a house and knocked on the door.

The homeowner was a woman named Kim Lii, who happened to be a teacher in language, humanities, and arts at the Seville Academy. Kim Lii was a kind-hearted and responsible person who excelled in interpersonal communication. Other than her 200-kilogram weight, she had almost no flaws.

When Kim Lii learned that Matthew had come to request her help with tutoring his friend, she readily agreed and even offered an 80% discount on the tutoring fee. Layla, who had been initially bewildered, suddenly realized that Matthew was willing to spend money to teach her to read and write, and she became a bit uneasy.

Taking advantage of Kim Lii's restroom break, Layla whispered her protest, "I can read! Common language, subterranean common language, and even dwarven! I can read a bit of everything."

Matthew smiled and said, "The President of the Oaktree Trading Company needs you to know more about human society. It's essential for me, understand?"

Layla had been about to resist, but after hearing Matthew's explanation, she fell silent for a while and then said firmly, "I understand."

After entrusting Layla to Kim Lii, Matthew hurried to the Lord's Mansion.

By the time he arrived at his workplace, he found that Lawrence and Reiga were both idle in separate offices. Zeller was nowhere to be seen, but since Reiga didn't mention anything significant, Matthew decided not to inquire further.

After having lunch at the Lord's Mansion, Matthew made up an excuse to leave and dashed off to the Oaktree Forest. He was ready to commence his daily tree-planting work.

Before he began planting, Matthew experimented with different dilutions of the "Swift-Grow Elixir." He finally determined the most cost-effective ratio. With this figured out, he started working in earnest.

Planting the trees with the help of zombies didn't take much time. What consumed more time and attention was the observation afterward.

By nightfall, Matthew had successfully planted twenty-four oak trees on the northern stretch of land. This number was essentially the maximum he could achieve without overextending his territory. Planting more trees would not only outpace the saplings but also further deteriorate the life elements in the land.

Although Matthew was eager to earn more enhancement points, moderation was advised. At least until he had access to a more extensive supply of high-quality oak tree seeds.

Late in the night, after hastily eating dinner and taking a hot bath, Matthew brewed a strong cup of coffee. He then embarked on another night of intensive magical studies. Due to his rapid leveling, his foundational knowledge of magic was lacking, and he had to exert more effort to catch up.

Upon reaching the third tier, Matthew had access to a variety of new spells. He spent a significant amount of time creating a new spell learning list and schedule. However, the first spell he decided to tackle was quite unexpected. It wasn't in the domain of necromancy but instead belonged to the universal sphere, closely related to the field of transmutation: "Malicious Polymorph."

The reason for placing this spell at the top of the list was simple. It came highly recommended by Grand Magician Ronan as a mandatory spell for third-tier mages. The difficulty was known to be high, but with the opportunity at hand, Matthew chose to embrace the challenge.

However, before he could start learning "Malicious Polymorph," Matthew needed to select a "malicious polymorph target" that suited him. Usually, there were three options, each representing a different level of difficulty:

1. Frog (or toad)
2. Wild boar
3. Goat

Matthew jotted down these three animal names on a piece of paper and fell into deep contemplation.

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